Despite Republicans winning control of the presidency, the Senate, and likely the House, one losing GOP candidate is still alleging fraud in his race and refusing to concede.
Wisconsin Senate candidate Eric Hovde, who lost to incumbent Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin, posted a video on X Tuesday afternoon claiming inconsistencies in the vote tally, citing everything from a surge in “same-day registration on a rainy day” to a sudden spike in absentee ballots, as well as “voting irregularities” in Milwaukee.
Many people have reached out to me with concerns about the voting inconsistencies we experienced on Election Day. Here are my thoughts: pic.twitter.com/zDvaeHaizw
— Eric Hovde (@EricHovde) November 12, 2024
As of Tuesday afternoon, Hovde had refused to concede but not requested funds needed for a recount, according to the Wisconsin Republican Party. He addressed that question in the video, saying “asking for recount is a serious decision that requires careful consideration.”
“Further, there are meaningful limits on a recount, because they don’t look at the integrity of a ballot,” Hovde added, before complaining about two third-party candidates on the ballot.
Hovde claimed that Democrats “organized and funded a phony America First candidate,” Thomas Leager, in addition to Libertarian candidate Phil Anderson, both of whom Hovde claimed took votes away from him.
“Is this right and fair to deceive voters? Is this the democratic process we want?” Hovde asked.
Hovde probably isn’t pushing for a recount because his complaints don’t actually address the vote count. Instead, he’s upset that his margin was low enough to have third-party candidates matter in Baldwin’s margin of victory. Wisconsin, like the other battleground states in this election, was won by Donald Trump and in fact clinched his victory. If Hovde is mad about his loss, he has only his own campaign to blame.